Worlds Collide (Alimentria, #1) [ON HOLD]

Chapter Eleven: A Healing Turn

     "Okay, why does my head hurt so dang much?"

     Brianna perked up immediately from her perch on the edge of an empty chair she'd just sat on coming back in from the hall. Felicity was awake. She was alright. And she had a headache that would make her angry at the world. That was going to be fun to deal with. But she was glad to have her friend back.

     "Fizzy!" Brianna said, releasing a relieved sigh as she went to help her dear friend sit up from her chair in the royal chamber. She hugged her close. "You're okay!"

     "Yeah," Felicity mumbled. "Why wouldn't I be? I—"

     Brianna saw her go deathly pale as she watched her friend take in the bodies surrounding her. Some breathing, some not.

     Felicity sucked in a breath. "What... happened here?"

     "You needn't concern yourself with that just now," Mera said gently. "Right now, I need you to take this."

     The physician held out a small bottle. Brianna guessed it held some sort of aspirin-like medicine to soothe Felicity's terrible headache. Felicity seemed to guess the same and took her medicine gladly, but gagged at the taste.

     "Ew. What is this? It tastes like burnt toast," she commented, crinkling her nose in disgust at the apparently awful taste in her mouth.

     "Trust me, it's better you don't know," Mera told her, taking the bottle back when Felicity handed it over by her finger tips. It obviously disgusted her to even touch.

     "So..." Felicity began after a brief silence, "why does Marilee look like she... um... she's dead? Did she knock herself out? I wouldn't be surprised. She's done it before."

     Brianna looked at Mera, who nodded understandingly and stood. "I think I'll leave you two alone for this conversation."

     "Thank you," Brianna said, the same time Felicity asked, "Why?"

     "You'll find out as soon as I get started," Brianna said softly as Mera walked out the door. "This... is going to be rough, okay? So bear with me."

     She proceeded to explain all she knew about the suiminroot, the deaths, and their current... predicament. Felicity stayed frozen through all of it, staring blankly at her sister, face ghostly pale. When Brianna was done, she murmured in a thick voice, "Sh-she's d-dead? M-mari is dead? Are you sure it's not just a hoax?"

     Brianna bit her lip to prevent from letting out a sob, but she felt her eyes well up with tears all over again.

     "Yes."

     It was such a simple word. And yet it wasn't. It was everything. And it broke not only her heart, but when word got out, it would break the hearts of all in the kingdom.

     "I- I see," Felicity said, turning her gaze from her dead sister to the floor. "Why haven't they moved the bodies?"

     "Mera still needs to do some tests, and this is the closest secure room near her office," Brianna explained quietly.

     A heavy silence took over. Brianna could see it in Felicity's eyes— her twin's death had hit her very hard. She couldn't decide if it was better to distract her, or let her think. So she just stayed quiet.

     "Hello girls," the king said from the doorway. He'd gone a half hour ago to inform the household of the queen and princesses' deaths. Now he looked tired. Very tired. And his voice held a strain. It hurt Brianna just to hear him or look at him.